The Carpathian Castle
by Madelen
Summary: Post-war. Alternate universe. Pre-Slash! Snape has fled England to live in the Carpathians. Remus spends him a visit.


Harry Potter | post war | AU | Remus Lupin | Severus Snape

Pre-Slash/-Yaoi!

Do not read this if you don't like slash!  
Check the word if you do not know its meaning!  
Do not read it if you actually want something to happen between them!

Unfortunately I do not own those characters. And even the title is stolen from a book by Jules Verne.

* * *

The Carpathian castle

From high above, a nearly full moon shed silvery rays of light through the curved bathroom windows, playing over the bathtub's white marble, reflecting in the gold framed mirrors. Within the deep shadows of one corner by the window, where the moonlight did not pass the heavy curtains, stood Severus Snape, gazing at the dark woods beneath the castle. The blackness of his hair and robes merged perfectly with the shadows while the light's softness soothed his over-strained eyes.

He had not had the intention to stay more than a few minutes but the sight upon the valley, the sky, the moon, enchanted him – though the view from his own room's windows would be exactly the same.

_The moon_, he thought. In a few days time, he would have to brew the wolfsbane for Lupin. The werewolf would not be leaving before the full moon. Not willingly, that is. A nearly inaudible sigh escaped his lips. He should not even have Lupin set foot into the castle when the man had showed up a few days ago.

He still wondered why exactly he had offered a quarter to Remus Lupin and why, from all the rooms in the castle, he had given him the chambers on the other side of the bathroom, a room which even connected their quarters. They indeed shared this very bathroom now, as Severus was much less repulsed by the thought of sharing a bathroom than of seeing the werewolf walk around in the castle in indecent clothing.

He shook his head ever so slightly. He already knew what the true reason behind his unusual behaviour was, but that would certainly not lead to admitting his own irrationality to himself. To admitting that he, Severus Snape, was in fact… **glad** about Lupin's presence.

Nearly inaudibly, Lupin's door opened. Severus remained motionless within the shadows at the window and kept gazing out. With the wolf having sharpened his senses, Lupin would notice him as soon as he had entered the bathroom.

Severus heard Lupin's steps cross the room and move towards the door of his own chamber. Well, Lupin would bolt the door and then notice him. His cheeks would blush slightly, like so often these days. Of course, he would not be able to see it in the soft moonlight. Lupin would apologize and then return to his chamber. _Then I will tell him that I do have no reason to stay and I will leave the bathroom myself._ No reason…

Suddenly, Severus eyes widened. **That** had not been the sound of a key being turned, that had been the sound of a door being opened. The very door to his room!

He felt the urge to turn around and snarl at Lupin… What in Merlin's name did he think he was doing! But then Severus heard the werewolf inhale… with delight? Remus Lupin, inhaling like someone who smelled an extraordinarily pleasant scent? And whilst standing at the door to **his** chamber?

°o°o°o°o°o°o°

During the few days Remus had been Severus' guest, he had already grown a habit. A habit Severus did better not find out about. Since the day of his arrival, Remus had sneaked through the bathroom every single evening, opened the door to Severus' room while the other man was still working somewhere in the dungeons, and made the scent intoxicate him. And an intoxication it was. He even longed for more already, wanted to taste the source of this scent, wanted to taste it on his tongue, to feel the pleasantly smelling skin under his hands.

But he knew for certain that Severus would never admit any of it. If he knew about Remus' new habit he would certainly throw him out immediately. So Remus took what he could get – as long as he got it. Which still sufficed to overwhelm his senses to such a point that he only became aware of the other wizard when this one already stood mere inches behind him. He even felt Severus' breath in his neck while everything else was shrouded in the scent like in mist.

Still, the intoxication was entirely gone. His muscles tensed, every single fibre in his body prepared to be snarled at, hit by hurtful words. But when Severus eventually began to speak – after what seemed to be like hours – his voice was neither cold nor sarcastic. Remus couldn't even believe it really was **Severus** talking in this hoarse voice which sent a shiver down his spine.

°o°o°o°o°o°o°

Severus knew that the other man had not come here for him, only because of him. He had come for the pack that lived in the dark woods at the castle's feet. He had come because Severus had sent a message to London – an anonymous one of course – that they should send someone to investigate the situation, which no one seemed to feel responsible for. He had not considered the possibility of a certain someone recognizing his owl, tracking him down and even asking for Severus' hospitality during his stay. Hospitality... What exactly did the other man think of him. That he had moved here to become a host for the exact same people he had actually wanted to get rid of by leaving England behind?

Still, he had offered him a room, and of all possible rooms in the castle it had been this one. _Oh Merlin!_ He had always been perfectly able to control his own feelings, they had not been of any valour for him, his mind worked perfectly well without them. But when Remus Lupin had arrived... What exactly had happened then? Had Lupin simply reminded him of the past? Or had it been something else? Well, Lupin still had this amber sparkle in his eyes which had always fascinated him, even after he had known the reason for this unusual eye colour.

For an instant, Severus was lost in thoughts and memories. Slowly, he became aware of something he had hidden deep inside himself since the very moment he had uncovered the reason for Remus' eyes being amber coloured. Since the moment the other man, well, he corrected his thoughts, the werewolf had nearly killed him. Suddenly, he **wanted** him to know that he was here, with him, in the same room. That he had uncovered yet another of Remus' secrets.

Slowly and quietly, Severus left the place in the shadows to sneak over to where Remus was still standing in the doorway, obviously intoxicated by **his** scent to such an amount that he indeed flinched – if ever so slightly – when he realized that someone had come to stand right behind him.

With the other man flinching, Severus eventually realized **how** close he had come to stand behind him. He only had to lean over a little to touch Remus' neck with his lips. But instead of giving in to this longing, he asked: "Are you looking for something, Remus?" He had intended to sound at least a little threatening when he put the question, but what had left his mouth instead had not been more than a hoarse whisper.

His whole body was reluctant to talking, his lips wanted something else than to form words, his tongue wanted something else than to touch his palate. His every fibre wanted, had always wanted, to lean in, to kiss, to touch. To feel Remus' body close to his, Remus' body on his... Remus inside him.

°o°o°o°o°o°o°

Slowly, Remus turned around to face Severus. His senses happened to work again, but he couldn't trust them. Had Severus just called him... **Remus**? And this smell emerging off Severus' skin, was it... **lust**? Remus' eyes grew wide. He had to be mistaken, it simply was too good to be true, so it could not be happening – luck was not ever coming for him.

But when he finally realized that all of this was real, he had to make an effort to suppress the feral grin which wanted to show on his face. There **was** this flicker in Severus' eyes, and he **was** breathing heavily, so it had to be, it could not be anything else than that Severus wanted **him**. Wanted him right **now**.

And he – wanted nothing more than Severus. With a flowing movement, Remus put one hand onto the other man's neck and pulled his face down towards his own. The instant before their lips finally met, he replied, his voice reduced to a whisper: "Was looking for you, Severus."


End file.
